Växjö University
Department: School of Humanities
END184
Fall term 2005
Tutor: Steven Hartman
Examiner: Maria Olaussen
Oppressing Nature
A Study of Gretel Ehrlich’s The Solace of
Open Spaces
Saman Jalali
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Interplay of Culture & Nature in Gretel Ehrlich's 'The Solace of Open Spaces', Summaries of Literature
An analysis of Gretel Ehrlich's essay 'The Solace of Open Spaces', focusing on the interaction between human culture and nature. Key themes include anthropocentrism, cowboy culture, dualism, nature, and sheepherder. how Ehrlich portrays the impact of nature on the characters and the characters on nature, as well as the dualism between nature and culture. It also explores Ehrlich's personification of nature and her views on ecocriticism and the treatment of animals.
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Växjö University Department: School of Humanities END Fall term 2005 Tutor: Steven Hartman Examiner: Maria Olaussen
Oppressing Nature
A Study of Gretel Ehrlich’s The Solace of
Open Spaces
Saman Jalali
Abstract
As the population of the earth expands the natural world shrinks in order to give space to our
growing population. This is a problem since humans have a big part in the destruction of natural
habitats. In Gretel Ehrlich’s The Solace of Open Spaces we find a close interaction between
human culture and nature. The Solace of Open Spaces can be categorized as creative non fiction,
and with this is mind I intend to employ a theoretical approach called ecocriticism when
analyzing The Solace of Open Spaces. The following essay will examine how the narrator of
The Solace of Open Spaces has depicted the relation between nature and culture. The study will
be conducted by a close reading of The Solace of Open Spaces. Other than the close reading a
series of important articles and websites have been consulted for further information regarding
certain keywords and concepts. Important keywords which are found throughout the essay are:
anthropocentrism, cowboy, culture, dualism, nature and sheepherder. My initial theory is that
even though it might not be intended, a nature and culture dualism is present in The Solace of
Open Spaces. I base the assumption on my belief that all humans objectify nature and see nature
as a possession. The aim of the essay is to establish whether there is a nature and culture
dualism present in The Solace of Open Spaces.
1 Introduction
The interaction between man and the natural world is something we as human beings have to
face in our everyday lives. Nature affects us in all aspects of our lives, and to a greater extent we
affect nature. Humans and the natural world occupy the same space and need to form a
symbiotic relationship in order to function. There are numerous oppositions found between
nature and human culture, not least in literature. This essay will examine the portrayal of these
oppositions in Gretel Ehrlich's The Solace of Open Spaces (henceforth SOS ).
The Oxford English Dictionary (henceforth the OED) defines culture and nature in various
ways. The definitions of culture most relevant to this essay are:
“A particular form or type of intellectual development. Also, the civilization, customs,
artistic achievements, etc., of a people, esp. at a certain stage of its development or
history” (OED, 2005).
The OED also defines culture as: “The action or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage,
husbandry” (OED, 2005).
The OED’s definitions of nature most relevant to this essay are:
11.a (1) The phenomena of the physical world collectively; esp. plants, animals, and
other features and products of the earth itself, as opposed to humans and human
creations. 11.b. In wider sense: the whole natural world, including human beings; the
cosmos (OED, 2005).
The two different ways of defining culture are included since one focuses on intellectual
development while the other one focuses on human actions ‘cultivating the soil’. The nature and
culture opposition as defined above does not involve culture as 'customs and nature' but 'culture
as manmade items and nature’.
An opposition is often called a dualism or: “The condition or state of being dual or consisting of
two parts; twofold division; duality” (OED, 2005). The dualism which is examined in SOS is the
opposition between nature and culture. The culture in SOS is represented by the cowboy
customs and the culture of manmade items and their interactions with the physical world of
nature (the earth, animals, flowers and weather etc). Before examining if there is a nature and
culture dualism present in SOS one has to look at an array of other questions. The subcategories
of questions to the overarching research question are: How is nature depicted from the narrator’s point of view? How does Ehrlich portray the way the characters of SOS affect nature? How does Ehrlich portray the ways nature affects the characters of SOS? The first question, namely Ehrlich's depiction of nature highlights matters such as how
Ehrlich the narrator has presented nature; the question also covers Ehrlich’s treatment of nature.
The second question is equally important since it aims to examine how the culture of Ehrlich’s
Wyoming affects the surrounding nature. Question two also looks at how the cowboy culture
affects the animals which reside within nature. The use of animals is a central part of
anthropocentrism. Anthropocentrism occurs when humans place themselves above everything
else, claiming superiority over all other forms of life. Anthropocentrism can be defined as:
1909 WEBSTER, Anthropocentrism , the assumption that man is the center of all things.
1912 J. H. M OORE Ethics & Educ. xvii. 141 There is a doctrine called
Anthropocentricism... According to this theory, man is the centre of the universe (OED,
The third and last question will aim to show how Ehrlich has portrayed the effects nature has
had on Ehrlich the protagonist and the characters in the book. The question will also aim to
show how nature affects the lives of the cowboys and their everyday routines. Ehrlich's
personification of herself in the surrounding landscape will also be included in this question.
yet at the same time treating them in a degrading way. In The Human Impact by Andrew
Goudie, one finds several topics concerning the treatment and domestication of animals, animals
which are all included in SOS. The work Ehrlich conducts with the animals is a nature and
culture clash; this clash is represented in the way humans in SOS have taken animals out of the
wild to serve their own purposes. In SOS one finds Ehrlich expressing negative opinions
regarding the consuming machinery of the American public. Ehrlich the narrator often forgets
that the horse she rides, the sheep she herds and the dogs which help her are all a part of the
consuming machinery. In various passages one finds Ehrlich describing how humans have
changed the landscape, i .e. by stretching miles of barbed wire over it or letting animals graze
until there is nothing left to graze. The way Ehrlich treats and interacts with animals and nature
will also be brought up in the analysis.
2 Aim and Scope
The main overarching research question will be: is there a nature and culture dualism present in SOS? The essay will cover how the elements of culture and nature change and affect one
another within the book. The main research question could have numerous sub categories to
support it. I have chosen to limit the sub categories to the questions presented below:
1 How is nature depicted from the narrator’s point of view? 2 How does Ehrlich portray the way the characters of SOS affect nature? 3 How does Ehrlich portray the way nature affects the characters of SOS?
These questions all fit under the main question which was presented earlier. The questions will
not be used to define the concept of nature or culture, but rather how nature and culture interact
with one another in SOS.
A close reading of the book establishes how Ehrlich the narrator describes the characters
of Wyoming and their interactions with nature. The close reading is essential since connections
need to be made between how Ehrlich the narrator depicts nature relative to the surrounding
culture of SOS.
The first question covers how Ehrlich the narrator portrays the nature in which she lives
in. The question covers the various ways Ehrlich the narrator describes the Wyoming climate,
nature and landscape. Ehrlich the narrator sometimes describes nature as something ‘fierce’ yet
‘cosy’. Ehrlich often poses opposites and compares nature relative to manmade items (culture),
often expressing resentment towards the exploitation of the earth, and at times contradicting
herself. Ehrlich often describes mankind’s abuse of nature, yet in another passage Ehrlich
herself is performing acts which contribute to the exploitation of nature. I will also proceed to
link Ehrlich the narrator's actions to the main research question in order to get a clear picture of
how Ehrlich the narrator connects culture and nature relative to one another.
The second question covers how animals and people are represented in the book. I
include the question since the representation of animals and people makes up a great deal of the
book. Ehrlich often focuses on the relationship between the animals and the cowboys. The
section dealing with this question will cover how Ehrlich treats the animals which she interacts
with. Ehrlich the protagonist’s interaction with the animals is largely based on the ‘western
cowboy culture’ which she has adopted. I will also look at how Ehrlich has portrayed the
cowboys in SOS. I will look at various matters such as social interaction between Ehrlich the
protagonist and the general characters of the book (in order to establish culture); I will also look
at the general behavior of the cowboys. Question two and three are linked together and were
chosen to show how culture affects nature and how nature in turn affects culture in SOS. The
second question will not only cover how the cowboys in SOS change the face of the landscape
but also how the cowboys have affected the animals which they work with. A great portion of
the book is dedicated to portray Ehrlich’s close work with animals and how she bonds with them; contrasting that close relationship we find chapters where Ehrlich watches animals being
abused for entertainment purposes. My preconception is that Ehrlich is trying to (deliberately or
not) portray herself as compassionate towards the animals which she works with, yet failing
when only pitying some animals and ignoring others, thus creating a dualism. Question two will
The material which I have chosen to work with focuses on general views on nature, culture and
the oppression or negligence towards nature and animals. I will look at general explanations and
definitions and apply them to SOS. Due to the lack of material available the analysis will
concentrate almost exclusively on what is written in SOS. I have used the following books,
articles, and websites as secondary sources: The first book, Ecocriticism by Greg Garrard focuses on a variety of subjects closely
related to ecocriticism. Garrard’s book contains extensive information regarding
environmentalism and nature preservation. Garrard writes of matter such as pollution, animals,
wilderness and other topics which are connected to nature. Garrard addresses topics such as how
nature is perceived. The wilderness Garrard writes of is not only the wilderness of nature but
also the wilderness of the human body. The wilderness of the human body is often found in
Ehrlich’s narrative since she often personifies herself in nature (Ehrlich represents an abstract
quality or idea as a person or creature). Garrard also deals with matters such as ‘man’ standing
above nature, in the sense that nature is subordinate to humanity. Garrard’s chapter titled
" Animals " will be used to an extent since it contains explicit information regarding the effects
culture has on animals. Garrard writes of how man uses, abuses and exploits animals in various
ways to serve his own needs (something which often occurs in SOS ). Garrard also writes about
the impact human beings have on the aesthetics of the landscape. Aesthetics are important to the
essay since one of the sub-questions deal with the impact the characters of SOS have on nature
(the landscape). Garrard’s views on culture and the treatment of nature will be used as a
counterweight to the more general views concerning nature and culture dualisms posed by other
writers.
I have also chosen an ecofeminist article written by D. Rae Greiner titled: Negative
Response: Silence in Gretel Ehrlich’s The Solace of Open Spaces. Greiner writes of how
women are often silenced in books. The silencing of women will be compared to the way nature
is perceivably silenced, forgot or left out. This is of great importance since Ehrlich does not
‘forget’ nature in her narrative. Ehrlich highlights nature and does not treat nature as if it were
invisible; Ehrlich treats nature as something equal to man’s culture. Ehrlich gives nature a voice
and space throughout the entire book. Christopher Manes poses an interesting claim as quoted
by Greiner:
Nature is silent in our culture (and in literate societies generally) in the sense that the status of being a speaking subject is jealousy guarded as an exclusively human
prerogative (qtd. in Greiner, 229).
The silencing does not only include nature but also the animals which reside within nature. The
Greiner article will be used and compared to SOS in order to see how the animals in the book
are silenced. Matters such as the domestication of animals will be analyzed to see if one can find
examples of ‘silencing’ (as domestication is a by product of culture). The article also includes
an interview with Ehrlich where Ehrlich the author expresses various opinions about nature and
culture.
Andrew Goudie’s book The Human Impact on the Natural Environment covers how
human influence has changed nature via agriculture and the domestication of animals. The book
contains various chapters explaining how the consumption of humans has changed the vegetation, atmosphere, the soil and the water (consumption is yet another by product of
culture). Goudie’s book will be used to look at how Ehrlich interacts with animals (in relation to
agriculture), and to establish the effects animals have on nature seen from an environmental
aspect. This will be done in order to establish whether Ehrlich the protagonist is contributing to
the exploitation of nature and in fact strengthening the nature and culture dualism in the book.
Additional secondary material consists of various position papers (stored on an Internet database) on the topic of ecocriticism and letters which were submitted in response to those
articles. The letters were all posted in the ASLE forum on literature of the environment under the
topic of The Growing Importance And Expanding Scope of The Fields of Environmental
Literature And Ecological Literary Criticism. The letters give various interpretations of what
ecocriticism is, what nature is and how nature and the wild are seen from an ecocritical point of
view. There were fifteen respondents which posted in the forum and each respondent wrote two
to three pages of material. Out of these fifteen respondents Ursula K. Heise’s submitted letter
open landscapes and nature. A part of her article focuses on how nature is depicted in SOS. The
interaction between Ehrlich the narrator, author and nature is something which will be looked at
closely throughout the essay. Rubenstein writes of how nature is used as a symbol. Throughout
SOS one can find numerous references where Ehrlich the narrator uses nature as a symbol to
reflect modern society. Rubenstein’s article will be used to analyze those symbols.
Wikipedia and The Oxford English Dictionary have both been used as sources for
defining various word and or concepts. Wikipedia is one of the world's largest online
encyclopedias while The OED is a well established dictionary which I have used to find more
detailed definitions of various words.
4 Analysis
In the analysis which follows I will look at the treatment of animals in SOS , the interaction between humans and nature and also how the dualism of nature and culture have been
manifested in SOS. The analysis has been broken down into smaller sections in order to get a
better overall picture of what is being analyzed. Instead of jumping straight into the analysis, the
background of the nature and culture interaction (as it might appear in SOS ) will be looked at.
Initially some background information will be given to how Ehrlich the narrator portrays nature
and culture. Thereafter the discussion will move onto analyze why Ehrlich has portrayed the
opposite fractions in the manner in which she does (nature and culture); finally the analysis will
look at examples of how the nature and culture interaction is presented. Following the analysis
there will be a conclusion where the results of the analysis will be presented.
4.1 Clashes between nature and culture
In the introduction of the essay a number of definitions concerning nature were presented. The
presented definitions of nature will be analyzed further in this section in order to give a clearer
understanding of how the word nature is generally defined. The OED defines nature as a
phenomenon, something which the earth has produced itself, as opposed to manmade items
(which are ‘unnatural’, even though manmade items originally come from the earth). The
definition splits the human world and nature (the nonhuman world) into opposing fractions
creating a gap. When looking up the definition of nature it might be assumed that the result
posted in the beginning of the essay (p1) would be the first and obvious search result (nature as
plants and trees), yet this is not the case with the OED. The OED has placed the definition
presented in the beginning of the essay (p1) after numerous other definitions of human behavior
in relation to nature. One finds definitions such as:
(2) The vital or physical powers of a person; a person's physical strength or constitution
[…] Semen. Occas. also: the sexual fluid of a woman […] The power or force which is
fundamental to the physical and mental functioning of a human being (OED, 2005).
Definition two presented above came before definition one (p1), which deals with nature as one
might imagine nature. The OED chooses to present human traits and abilities before nature as an
actual object. I use these definitions in order to show that it is uncommon for 'man' to put
himself above nature, even though this particular case deals with the definition of ‘nature’ as a
word, something which will be linked to SOS later on.
In SOS we find a constant battle between Ehrlich the narrator, protagonist and the
elements of nature. The first few lines of Ehrlich’s book gives us a glimpse of how Ehrlich
portrays her relation to nature as she curls up against a bush in order to shelter herself from the winds: “ A front is pulling the huge sky over me, and from the dark a hailstone has hit me on the
head” (1). Ehrlich gives us a very vivid description of how she is being battered by the natural
elements. Ehrlich describes how she attempts to shelter herself, yet failing to do so when the
hailstorm hits her over the head. After having been ‘attacked’ by the elements, we find a
passage where Ehrlich describes how she trails sheep through the Wyoming badlands. Ehrlich
describes how the trek is made difficult due to the harsh elements of nature, such as the scorching sun that prevents her from moving the sheep, portraying how she constantly fights the
oppositions. Ehrlich describes how mercury acts when the temperature sinks too low: “[w]hen
it’s fifty below, the mercury bottoms out and jiggles there as if laughing at those of us still
above ground” (73). The thermometer which is a manmade item stops functioning at fifty
degrees below zero, when it bottoms out it is impossible to see the temperature; nature turns the
item which was constructed by culture into something useless.
Lastly Ehrlich describes how she rubs the toes of a stranger: “[… .] whose pickup has
veered off the road” (72) while at the same time helping to: “[…. ] splice a friend’s frozen water
pipe […]” (72). The pickup is yet another nature and culture clash. The car is a mechanical
device made by humans and does not function properly under extreme conditions. The frozen
water pipe could be perceived a symbol of culture’s failure to contain the natural elements.
After a snowstorm Ehrlich gets a call by a friend who needs her help, after having towed her
pickup to get it started she: “drove across the Basin, trying one unplowed road after another. No
route would take me to Ellen’s” (43). The manmade road was made useless by the layers of
snow which covered it, showing the incompatibility between the constructions of man and
nature.
There are several such examples of incompatibility between nature and items which
derive from culture. Although all manmade items such as jeans, cars or pipes originally come
from the earth, they have been processed and remade by humans, for humans.
In conclusion the OED gives various definitions of nature, while Ehrlich the narrator
portrays nature as she perceives it. There are clear differences between nature as an actual
concept and how one person perceives nature. This section (4 .1) has shown a general definition
of nature and compared it to how Ehrlich the narrator describes nature, namely something which
often clashes with culture. The descriptions of Ehrlich the narrator are formed by the culture in
which she lives, a culture which exists close to nature and often becomes affected by it. It is in
these quotes we find the first signs of a nature and culture dualism in SOS.
4.2 How nature affects Ehrlich in SOS
The following section will look at how nature in Ehrlich’s Wyoming affects Ehrlich the narrator
and/or protagonist. Ehrlich often describes nature and its elements as something harsh. The
following quote is a typical description of how the landscape affects Ehrlich: “Winter scarified
me. Under each cheekbone I thought I could feel claw marks and scar tissue” (43). There are
several passages where Ehrlich describes the hardness and ruggedness of the landscape. There is
seldom a time of tranquility. In the summer Ehrlich and the other characters have to endure
severe dryness, which is followed by periods of drought. The season of rain is quickly followed
by a period of extreme cold which changes into a thawing spring and then the cycle starts all
over again. Despite the ruggedness, one finds passages where Ehrlich describes the ‘good’ side
of nature and moments when she is at peace with nature: “[m]orning. Sagesmell, sunsquint,
birdsong, cool wind. I have no idea where I am, how to get to the nearest paved road, or how to
find the sheep” (54). In the previous quote we find Ehrlich disoriented, she does not know
where she is. Despite her state, Ehrlich wakes up and takes in various positive impressions of
the nature surrounding her. When first venturing to Wyoming, Ehrlich considers the landscape
and the elements to be great and vast, a place where one can get spiritually lost. Ehrlich
describes how: “I suspect that my original motive for coming here was to ‘lose myself’ in new
and unpopulated territory” (3). Instead of losing herself in the landscape as priory mentioned,
Ehrlich finds peace in the surrounding landscape and: “Instead of producing the numbness I
thought I wanted, life on the sheep ranch woke me up” (3-4).
Ehrlich cannot change nature around her, instead her descriptions of nature change over
a period of time, as does Ehrlich in relation to what she ‘was’ before coming to Wyoming. We
find Ehrlich describing how: “[d]espite the desolate look, there’s a coziness to living in this
state” (4). Upon moving in and working on the ranch Ehrlich describes how she: “threw away
my clothes and bought new ones; I cut my hair” (4). Ehrlich’s liberating behavior starts after the
death of her husband to be, David. In the chapter named " Other Lives " Ehrlich describes how
changes, but also how the elements change and shape the entire community around her. The
solitude which Ehrlich describes could originate from the great distances which separate the
inhabitants. Ehrlich describes how only half a million people live in the entire state of
Wyoming, a situation which creates vast spaces between the farms and results in people rarely
meeting one another. The solitude and: “[t]he geographical vastness and the social isolation here
make emotional evolution seem impossible” (52). The quote shows that the vast unpopulated
landscape contributes to the seeming ‘coldness’ of the characters in SOS. An example of the
isolation is found in a story Ehrlich tells of a farmer who drives thousands of miles in his truck
over the course of a year, yet never setting foot outside his own farmlands. Nature does not only
change people in the way they interact with one another, it also confines them and affects them
in a physical way. In the summer the characters of SOS get their cowboys tans (12) and the
blazing heat drives them to stay inside. In the winter the cold weather has the same effect as it
keeps them inside, trapping them. In the chapter titled " The Smooth Skull of Winter " there are
several examples of how the elements of nature affect the characters in various ways. The
harshness of the Wyoming landscape is described by Ehrlich in this short chapter. On page 72
we find the following quote:
[t]he deep ache of this audacious Arctic air is also the ache in our lives made physical.
Patches of frostbite show up on our noses, toes, and ears. Skin blisters as if cold were a
kind of radiation to which we’ve been exposed. It strips what is ornamental in us” (72).
This quote is a good example of Ehrlich describing how the human body is affected by nature.
Ehrlich starts by writing that the ache of the cold air is the same ache which can be physically
seen on the bodies the inhabitants (characters). The blistering skin and patches of frostbite
which can be seen on their bodies can also be found in the surrounding landscape. Ehrlich often
draws parallels between the human body and nature. In one section Ehrlich even refers to the
land as: “The integrity of the land as a geo-graphical body (emphasis added) with the freedom
to ride anywhere on it […]” (10). In the chapter mentioned above, Ehrlich describes how the
landscape and the cold weather bring people together. The weather forces the characters to help
one another out in any way they can: “we take mittens and blankets to the men who herd sheep”
(72). The cold weather creates a form of camaraderie. Ehrlich describes how the camaraderie
which is created is one that is: “[…] laced with dark humor, an effervescent lunacy, and
unexpected fits of anger and tears” (73-74). On page 42 a character named Ellen Cotton calls
Ehrlich and asks for her help. Ellen needs Ehrlichs assistance since she does not believe that it is
possible to feed the farm animal alone. This shows that the elements change the cowboys in
more ways than just the physical. Nature greatly affects the way the cowboys interact, which is
yet another connection we find in SOS between nature and culture.
The cowboys are bound to the land and they all seem to share a similar view of life, something which could resemble: “[…] a slow accumulation of days, seasons, years, fleshed out
by the generational weight of one’s family and anchored by a land-bound sense of place” (5).
The way Ehrlich describes the traits which the cowboys possess could be closely linked to nature since their common denominator is culture, a culture which is presumably formed by the
surrounding nature.
The way the characters in SOS are affected by nature can be seen in every season which
is portrayed in SOS. Ehrlich dedicates the chapter " On Water " to how the lack of water in the
summer affects the inhabitants of SOS. Ehrlich describes of how the cowboys: “have learned not
to waste words from not having wasted water, as if verbosity would create a thirst too extreme
to bear” (79). The climate as it is presented in the book has yet again affected the ‘normal’
behavioral patterns of the characters in SOS. The lack of water has according to Ehrlich also
made the people sparse in their way of speaking. The characters of Ehrlich’s Wyoming either
see no water or great quantities of it in a short period of time, which naturally makes them
associate water with either life or death. The life or death association is something which the
following quote exemplifies: “[i]t carries, weightlessly, the imponderable things in our lives: